... fantastically informative ... [Dunn's] excitement is contagious ... braids the cultural history and daunting needs and feats of these wondrous birds with vivid accounts of the author’s sometimes hazardous, far-flung mountain, forest and island expeditions ... Exceedingly well-researched and packed with fascinating lore, it should appeal to avid birders and general readers alike. Two quibbles: More informative captions on the photographs would have been welcome, including where each shot was taken. A more troubling omission is the lack of source citations for the plethora of information gathered in this volume ... Mr. Dunn’s prose has the necessary sparkle to do his subject justice ... Mr. Dunn doesn’t overwhelm us with facts—there is little here about hummingbirds’ evolution or gestation—but those he includes go down as easily as sugar water.
... a book that is both an ode to hummingbirds and a remarkable piece of travel literature ... Dunn gives us the facts about hummingbirds, but he also explores the places where hummingbirds intersect with the world they inhabit and the people they affect ... From the narrative of Dunn’s excursion, we learn that a backyard hummingbird sighting is actually an exotic visit from the wide, strange world.
Full of natural history, quotes from early explorers, local history, and adventure, Dunn’s chronicle of his hummingbird quests will make readers just as obsessed with these small, quick birds dipped in rainbows.
... [Dunn] has written an engaging history of the species while also shedding insight into why people, such as John James Audubon and Henry David Thoreau, have been astonished by them ... inviting ... Notably, the author takes care to consider the place of hummingbirds in the history, literature, and cultures of their locales. Dunn writes passionately about climate change, habitat loss, invasive species, and unchecked development—all the work of humans—on hummingbird populations. For Dunn, mankind is inextricably linked to hummingbirds and their fate ... An essential book for bird watchers, especially hummingbird lovers, as well as anyone interested in natural history.
Dunn takes readers on a wondrous globe-trotting pilgrimage to seek out hummingbirds as their populations are threatened ... As in the best nature writing, Dunn paints striking pictures ... Dunn’s vivid prose, balanced with just the right amount of detail, will captivate birders and non-birders alike.
... vividly recounted adventures ... All of these marvelous voyages are only part of what makes this book so enchanting. Along the way, Dunn compassionately shares his extensive knowledge of the species endemic to each location, including their aesthetics, mechanics, habitats, and related regional culture and folklore, and he discusses factors contributing to the decline of hummingbirds, including pesticides, climate change, and habitat loss ... A mesmerizing, wonder-filled nature study that also serves as a cautionary tale about wildlife conservation.
